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Welcome to the Jungle
Tu Tram Pham
Designing with a little pizzazz for the modern businesswoman has been Dinh Ba’s specialty over the past four years. But the Montreal designer unveiled a new collection early October, presenting his first menswear collection for Spring/Summer ‘08.
The event took place at Dinh Ba’s boutique on Amherst in the ultra-hip Gay Village. A herd of friends, fans, and media crammed into the tiny store, and, like predators, they were hungry for fashion. Picture a tropical setting of a hot room, a palm tree, the smell of fresh rain, devotees wearing Dinh’s latest designs, and fashionistas sporting leopard-print ankle boots and snakeskin sandals.
The show was a surprise mixed collection of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, not simply a men’s collection as previously thought. True to his style, Dinh Ba’s affinity with flower motifs and mostly monochromatic ensembles were subjects of his tailored suits and dresses. Models wore a wide range of mosaic daytime dresses to floor-length gowns with twisted, embroidered details.
For the men’s collection, he played it safe and showed a few pinstriped Bermuda shorts with matching blazers. For casual wear, a gray T-shirt with a black breast pocket paired with comfortable black slacks. His underwear set of a vibrant, diamond motif, fitted tank top, and matching boxer briefs had the public doing a double take.
Perhaps it was the wine; perhaps it was the clothes, but the folly surrounding Dinh Ba’s new collection had the crowd buzzing in excitement and chanting his name by the end of his show.
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